


Sunrise over Darkness

by Vagrant_Blvrd



Series: Beyond the Horizon [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games), Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-06 01:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21218429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vagrant_Blvrd/pseuds/Vagrant_Blvrd
Summary: It’s strange enough venturing back into the Cosmodrome with everything that’s happened since Bauble found him, but going back with Ryan is just -“Oh, there’s another cluster,” Ryan says, and Gavin twists around to see him harvesting spinmetal leaves. “Just a few more and I’ll have enough.”Odd.It’s very, veryodd.





	Sunrise over Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill for Demoncowedgar who wanted something in a Destiny AU. :D?

It’s strange enough venturing back into the Cosmodrome with everything that’s happened since Bauble found him, but going back with Ryan is just - 

“Oh, there’s another cluster,” Ryan says, and Gavin twists around to see him harvesting spinmetal leaves. “Just a few more and I’ll have enough.”

Odd.

It’s very, very _odd_.

The Cosmodrome is as eerie as it’s ever been, cries from distant Fallen patrols echoing oddly off the high metal walls and rock walls. Lingering echoes of the SIVA crisis that has Gavin watching where he sets his feet far more closely than he normally would.

Commander Zavala hasn’t officially lifted the quarantine on the Cosmodrome, but he also hasn’t said anything about Guardians slipping in here on Banshee’s latest quest either. (For Banshee’s sake or the link to Cayde-6, it’s anyone’s guess.)

The change of heart may be for Banshee’s sake and the link to Cayde-6, or perhaps there are other more urgent matters weighing on his mind with recent events. Things that make disciplining errant Guardians breaking quarantine pale in comparison. (Commander Zavala isn’t pleased about Guardians running around the Cosmodrome again recklessly as ever, but he hasn’t spoken out on it either.)

Gavin sighs as he finds a comfortable spot on a rocky outcropping that gives him good line of sight as Ryan searches for more spinmetal. Something to do with one of Rasputin's WARSATs clipping his jumpship on a mission to Mars a week back.

There’s a glimmer of light by his shoulder and he smiles as he sees Bauble hover into view.

“It’s odd, isn’t it,” she says, voice pitched low. “You’d think a Titan would be a bit more...reticent to set foot here with the quarantine.”

Gavin hums, sniper rifle leaning against his shoulder. It’s natural for respective classes to look to their Vanguard mentors for leadership first with the way things are organized in the City rather than with the Vanguard as a whole, but few of them are blindly loyal anymore.

Too much upheaval in such a short time, things that weren’t quite secrets as just...not spoken of coming to light time and time again. More than enough to have Guardians question whether or not the Vanguard is infallible, especially with Cayde’s death. 

(Funny how it’s the Hunter Vanguard mentorship that changes hands so often, while the Titans and Warlocks stand solid and steady. Maybe there is some truth to the jokes and friendly jabs every Guardian’s heard at least once.)

“You’d think,” Gavin murmurs, smiling as Ryan has an argument – no sorry, as he’s been informed the two of them engage in _debates_, not arguments – with Reggie. 

Flailing hands and wide gestures and Reggie’s shell flaring out with little spins and flourishes either mocking him or unconsciously mimicking him, difficult to tell.

“Looks like arguing to me,” Bauble grumbles, and Gavin doesn’t laugh at the way he can feel her watching him, no. 

No reason to get into a debate themselves, after all.

Movement behind Ryan and Reggie and Gavin’s reaching for his sniper rifle, easy as anything as Bauble flickers out of sight.

Ryan and Reggie give no sign of having noticed they’re not alone as their debate continues, and Gavin huffs a laugh echoed by Bauble’s through the speakers of his helmet as he scans the area.

A Marauder, two, creeping up on the shiny pair of idiots in the shadow of an old building. Cloaking tech glitching on them every now and then and Gavin almost feels bad about it as he takes aim. 

And then Reggie blinks out of view as Ryan snaps around, hand cannon pointed unerringly at the Marauder Gavin’s not aiming for.

“Wait,” Ryan says, and Gavin holds his fire as requested.

There’s a standoff as the Marauders drop their cloak, no need for it now they’ve been seen. Guardians versus Fallen and even a year ago it would have ended predictably, but now?

Ryan cocks his head, just so and the Marauders share a look, chittering to each other before they lower their weapons and take a step back.

Look back to him and gesture at the harvested spinmetal growth, hunched low to the ground and ready to run.

Ryan lowers his hand cannon, tilts his head the other way and gestures towards the Mothyards. More spinmetal to be found there and the Guardians roaming the Cosmodrome at the moment seen content to explore The Divide rather than venture this far out.

The Marauder closest to him stands a little straighter and says something to Ryan he must be able to understand because he holsters his hand cannon. The Marauder regards him for a long moment before it taps the second Marauder on its pauldron and they set off towards the Mothyards, reactivating their cloaking technology when they’re nearly out of sight.

“Hmm,” Bauble says, reappearing in another glimmer of light over Gavin’s shoulder. “Interesting.”

Things are changing out here, and Gavin hopes it’s for the better.

Ryan turns to look up at Gavin and Bauble and tips the two of them a jaunty little salute and offers a cheeky, “Thanks!”

Gavin snorts as he settles back into a comfortable slouch as Reggie reappears and launches into a lecture about Ryan being a reckless fool of a Titan, although it sounds less stern than fondly exasperated. 

Ryan nods along in the right places, makes these little noises like _yes, yes,_ and _you’re absolutely right_ and _ooh, more spinmetal!_ as Reggie floats along behind still lecturing for all he’s worth.

========

Gavin leaves Ryan to negotiate terms with Amanda in the hangar and heads to the Tower courtyard which is bustling with activity as always. Guardians bartering materials for goods and showing off new bits of armor or weapons. 

Ghosts flitting about catching up on gossip and trading bits of information on enemy patrols that haven’t been updated on the Vanguard networks yet. 

Bauble gets sidetracked in conversation with a Warlock’s Ghost near Master Rahool’s booth, and he shakes his head as he visits Tess at the Eververse counter to see what the handful of engrams he picked up in the Cosmodrome hold for him. (An armor ornament or two, pretty new Sparrow for a race somewhere and other items he trades in for Bright Dust.)

It’s a lovely day, warm and sunny with birds calling to each other as they flock about the banners and whatnot about the Tower.

He should stop by Geoff and Jack’s quarters later, spend some time catching up with them as it’s been a while since he’s been back to the Tower for more than a pit stop. Spend some glimmer around the Tower vendors for more than the essentials, take some time to enjoy the chance to let his guard down.

A voice calling his name has Gavin look over to see a pair of Titans approaching. Battle-scarred armor and a look in their eyes that means trouble in Gavin’s immediate future.

He gives serious thought to bolting for it, given the last time he ran into these two. The impromptu race through the Glacial Drift on Mars that ended with the Titans going over a cliff – which by the way, wasn't his fault. (Heavy Titan armor and improperly calibrated engines and honestly, honestly, any Sparrow racer worth their salt would know better.)

“Well, well, well,” Michael says, hand landing heavily on Gavin’s shoulder. “Lookit who we got here, Jeremy.”

Jeremy grins, and like the menace he is, cracks his knuckles.

“Aw, now,” Gavin says, cheerful grin and laughter building up as he spots Ryan and Reggie headed towards them. “No need to be like that, Lads.”

They’re ridiculous is what they are. Playing the big, scary heavies like Gavin owes them glimmer or caught them up in a bad deal over parts or something similar. Armor adding to the image because Titans and those pauldrons of theirs that seem to get bigger every time Gavin turns around. 

Michael snorts. “Aw, no need to be like that, Lads,” he says, doing a terrible job of mimicking Gavin’s accent. “You owe us a rematch, asshole.”

Jeremy nods, smacking his fist in his hand like that’s any kind of threat from him.

“What he said,” he says in the least threatening way possible because Gavin can hear him trying not to laugh, break character and ruin this little farce of theirs.

Big, bad Titans picking on the poor little Hunter and _really_.

“Is there a problem?” Ryan asks, nice and mild and taking his cue from Gavin instead of cracking Michael and Jeremy’s heads together the way he looked like he wanted to when he first spotted the three of them.

Michael blinks, sharing a look with Jeremy before they two of the leave off bullying Gavin and turn to face him. 

Another little standoff, only this time it’s a trio of Titans and Gavin rolls his eyes as Bauble floats over and makes that quiet little humming noise she does when she’s studying Guardians in their natural habitat.

Still puzzling out their eccentricities and other such things as though she expects to wholly understand them one day.

“Fascinating,” she murmurs as the three idiots before them forget they were sizing each other up in case a brawl broke out and start discussing their armor, because of course they do.

“_Titans_,” Gavin sighs, and decides he might as well grab a bowl of ramen in the bazaar while they’re having a chat for old time’s sake.

========

“Interesting friends you have,” Ryan says, plonking himself down on a stool beside Gavin. “I think they challenged me to a race on Mars?”

Gavin chokes on his drink, winces as Ryan chooses to be helpful by pounding him on the back and forgetting he’s still in armor. 

“Oh?” he says, and wonders if he’ll get grief from the others if he warns Ryan to calibrate his Sparrow if he takes them up on it. Glances over to see Ryan with this adorably confused smile on his face and decides the poor bastard will need the advantage. “Might want to mention it to Amanda before you go.”

She’ll know what to do.

“Hmm,” Ryan says, casting Gavin a look, like he knows there’s something Gavin’s not saying. “It has been a while since I’ve brought it in.”

Gavin’s sure Reggie does his best to keep Ryan’s Sparrow up to spec, but there’s only so much a Ghost can do when it comes to these things. 

That, and Amanda’s a genius when it comes to Sparrows and jumpships, knows how to pull the best possibly performance from them without sacrificing efficiency. All these little tips and tricks she’s picked up over the years no one, not even the most skilled Ghost can hope to emulate.

“Any recommendations?” Ryan asks, skimming through the menu. “I don’t think I’ve been here before.”

Gavin shrugs. He’s not a connoisseur, but this little ramen shop is one of the most popular ones around. There’s a framed picture of Cayde in a spot of honor, and Gavin’s got an expired coupon stashed away in his vault because Guardians carry an odd sort of sentimentality with them, don’t they.

Claim they have no time for it, but small things catch them up time and again. Little rituals they’re not aware of, habits they form without realizing.

“Can’t go wrong with the spicy ramen,” he says, and laughs at the look Ryan gives him, leaning in to explain the joke that isn’t a joke, because _Hunters_.


End file.
